Ramone
by RA'AY'MOND
Summary: Barney asks Det. Fish how a young junkie managed to take his gun from him and hold the entire squad room hostage.


**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Barney Miller and have not / will not make any money from this work. This is just my way of keeping the show alive.**

**I have to thank Jennifer Star at for all of her help. She went out of her way by helping with the research**

** and beta reading of this fic. I couldn't have done it with out her.**

By: Ra'Ay'Mond

Missing scene and spoiler for _episode one_, _season one_, 'Ramon'

**Some back-story: This Fan Fiction is about the 'talk' that Barney wanted to have with Fish about allowing a junkie/mugger to take his firearm away from him and holding the entire squad room at gunpoint.**

Barney closes the door behind him as he points at the slightly worn brown leather couch in his office as he tells Fish, "Take a load off your feet Fish. You've earned it. After what we've just been through, we've all earned a little break!

Barney takes a seat in his chair as Fish plops down on the leather couch. Fish loudly sighs as he leans back and props his right arm across the headrest of the couch. He's trying, unsuccessfully, to relax while he waits for Barney's speech.

Of course, he knew that this was coming. Not just the 'talking to' that was about to come, about how he let that junkie kid take his gun away form him while he was taking off the hand-cuffs. But because of the definite decline in job performance because of his age.

Barney asks Fish if he would like some water, or a cup of coffee. After Fish says no, Barney then asks the question of the year, "OK fish. How did he get your gun?"

Fish takes a deep breath as he rolls his eyes up toward the ceiling. After about a second or two he looks at Barney and says' "Me and Chano get a call about some kid beating up and mugging a guy. We get to the scene and find the kid, still beating the hell out of the poor guy. We bust him. Call an ambulance for the victim and come to the one-two to book the kid."

"When we get him in the squad room he asks me can he go to the can.

I tell Chano that the kid's 'gat'ta go'. He tells me to take him, because their my cuffs, and I have the key."

Barney interrupts, and asks, "Did you take the cuffs off the kid in the squad room?"

Fish replies, "No. I walked him to the can. I started to take the cuffs off in there, so that he could do, what ever it is…that he had to do. That's when he jumped me, and took my piece."

Barney then asks, "You mean that Chano didn't go with you and the kid? He just let you go alone and un-cuff him?"

"It's not Chano's fault. You've been in our can before Barn, there's hardly room for one person in there, let a lone three. Besides, I should have been able to handle one junkie on my own. At least I _used_ to be able too. This would have _never_ happened to me five years ago. Not even two years ago. Maybe, not even last week!"

Barney does not like the direction that Fish is taking this. He has heard it once or twice lately form his old friend, and does not want to hear about him retiring _early_ again. So he changes the subject.

"So fish, do you think that the kid planed this all along?"

Fish instantly replies, "No Barney. You know what junkies are like. They don't plan anything past their next fix. This was pure animal fear, wrapped up in adrenaline."

"So it could have happened to anyone?" Barney asked.

"Not Wojo. Not you.. And not me, about a year or so ago that is."

Barney has had enough. He talks a little louder then he had planed on as he says,

"Fish! You, or anyone else should _only_ take off a perp's cuffs in the squad room, in front of every one else. We're at our most vulnerable when we take a pair of cuffs off a perp! Both of our hands are full and our guns are within easy reach of the _perp's_ free newly hands."

"I'm going to tell every one in the squad room that we _only _remove handcuffs in front of at least one other cop. That way if someone makes a grab for one of our guns, all the boys can…beat the hell out of him!" Barney looks off to the far end of the room as he says the last part of that sentence.

"But Barney. It's not fair that you let me off the hook. I'm the one that screwed up. And it's because…"

Barney stands up as he interrupts Fish, "You're right! You screwed up. But it's not the first time you've screwed up. Also, you're not the first cop to ever screw up. In fact, any cop that was out there could and should have reminded you to take off those cuffs in plan view of every one else. _But they didn't_!"

"You got chewed out. In addition, I'm going to go out there and do same thing to them, and remind them what _they should_ have done. I'm also going to remind them that just because were in the house, it doesn't mean that we're _totally_ safe. We have to always be on guard in this job!"

"But Barney, I.."

"Fish, We've all learned a valuable lesson today. Not need to replay what happened. I was there. That junkie could have shot me. Hell! Wojo could have shot me when he burst in on us. Let's just…chalk this one up to experience. OK?"

"OK Barney."

Fish gets up to leave the office when he turns to find Barney looking concerned, just staring off into the distance. He asks, "Are you OK Barn?"

"Yeah, I'm fine Fish. I was just wondering what in the world I'm going to tell Liz when she asks me later if anything _interesting_ happened at work today."

Fish stops half way out the door when he tells Barney, "Any thing but the truth Barn. Trust me!"

Barney just quietly nods his head yes.

The End.

4


End file.
